Best feathers for making wings

[wingman]

Having tried a few of the smaller game birds for wing slips like woodcock, snipe etc, I find these very fidgety and unpredictable when tieing in as the feather fibres are prone to move out of place after the initial winging loop/tie in process. The larger game birds like mallard/goose for example seem to have feather fibres that stay together much better and keep their form after the tie in process. I thought it might help some people struggling with the winging technique if a list of feathers/birds that are much easier to use for winging could be made. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

cheers

mark

[arkle]

Hi Mark, There are some feathers that can just be a nightmare, as you're finding. This is often a problem with materials that have been "in stock" for some time before purchase or your own stock.

It can also depend on the time of the year that the bird was "harvested" i.e. the best feathers are often had not long after a moult, so they haven't been battered about by nature to much.

I've always disliked starling for wings, as it tends to be very fragile. It can be made to "Behave" a bit better with the prior application of a firm hold hairspray though. Jay quills are a bit better, not a lot though & first choice - hook size allowing has to be mallard drake.

Woodcock isn't bad, neither is grouse or hen pheasant wing. If you're going to be doing a lot of winged patterns, then speak to Steve Cooper as he turns over lots of stock, so it's almost always fresh & he'll know what alternatives to offer/suggest if you can't get on with some of the standard ones.

[dabhoy]

I also use barred turkey that I managed to get a large batch of at a good price and find it a bit more robust on some wet patterns.

[wingman]

Thanks arkle and dabhoy for the advice,so I wasn't imagining it then. Personally I find the look of a winged fly, be it wet or dry, quite pleasing but I find the meticulous effort to produce the right effect quite tedious. i.e selection of the right 2 feathers and matching wing-slips, positioning of slips so that they pair-up correctly and ofcourse tying in so that they maintain there shape and form and symmetry. Some fly tiers can make this process look like water off a ducks back.....but they have probably tied a heck of alot of wings in order to get there. Like everything else its patience and perseverence, trial and error of learning through mistakes to achieve the desired result everytime.

[dabhoy]

I know what you mean Mark as I have had the same problems even matching feathers of the same bird at times, you get a nice curve on the one feather and the same feather of the other wing has next to no shape.
You can buy matched feathers which are obviously a bit more expensive but can save you a lot of trouble.

[Eddie O'Neill]

Originally Posted by dabhoy

I know what you mean Mark as I have had the same problems even matching feathers of the same bird at times, you get a nice curve on the one feather and the same feather of the other wing has next to no shape.

Argh, it's not just me then.

[flytier07]

I find starling a pain in the a--e for winging-all right for spider hackling, but very fiddly otherwise, the smae with jay hackles, but find I get a bit of a stiffer wing with teal slips for small flies and also speckled hen quills work well. I used to go out of my way to tie in wings preferring to use a hairwing, but am much more comfortable winging flies now.